Brett Walton | Circle of Blue
Reporter, Circle of BlueBrett writes about agriculture, energy, infrastructure, and the politics and economics of water in the United States. He also writes the Federal Water Tap, Circle of Blue’s weekly digest of U.S. government water news. He is the winner of two Society of Environmental Journalists reporting awards, one of the top honors in American environmental journalism: first place for explanatory reporting for a series on septic system pollution in the United States(2016) and third place for beat reporting in a small market (2014). He received the Sierra Club's Distinguished Service Award in 2018. Brett lives in Seattle, where he hikes the mountains and bakes pies. Contact Brett Walton
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Fifty years ago, on December 16, 1974, Ford clinched a public health victory when he signed a bill that joined the pantheon of federal environmental protection laws enacted that decade.Today, the country still reaps the benefits from the Safe Drinking Water Act. Most Americans are provided high-quality water from their taps. -
Hot summers do not end water shutoffs in some Great Lakes cities. When struggling people need water the most, it might not be available. -
A national class-action settlement could provide funding to remove PFAS chemical from drinking water. Water utilities have to decide if they'll join the $2 billion settlement. -
UN Water Conference highlights risks and opportunities for the Great Lakes region. -
Rivers and lakes are becoming saltier while law and practice limit effective responses. -
The Great Lakes News Collaborative asked state and national experts how Michigan could break the cycle of underfunding and poor decision-making that has left water systems across Michigan in sorry shape. -
More communities gain access to the largest federal infusion in a half century. -
Rising rates hurt the state’s poorest residents. -
Though the costs are enormous and success is by no means assured if upgraded assets are not maintained, for the first time in decades Michigan is addressing systemic challenges in delivering drinking water and cleaning up wastewater that local and state officials and taxpaying residents have been unable to resolve. -
A growing number of Michigan households are burdened by high water bills, a University of Michigan report finds.
